Articles by: Jim Hughes

Learn from the legend, Royce Gracie, the first men ever to step in to the octagon, in the first ever UFC, when rules were limited and points were just a thought, and when the only way to win was by knockout or by making your opponent quit. You either won or you didn’t. It was that simple.

Prior to the first UFC, people had an idea what martial arts were based on the way they were portrayed by martial arts movies, but nobody, on a grand scale ever tested this assumption. Your kung fu was only as good as the tales you told. You might say that there was mass delusion of a martial arts, sort of mass posturing going on. Where everybody was really good, but that “good” was based on idea, story or a tale, but not actual battle.

This all changed, with the debut of the first UFC. The only rules were no biting or eye gouging. There were no weight, no time limit and no points. The tournament was open to all disciplines, ranging from Karate to Kung fu and anything else in between. It was the first ever Mixed Martial Art event. The idea was simple, if you think your Martial Art works, prove it.

Over night, the whole world was shocked, they could not believe what they witnessed, a skinny Royce at 175 pounds defeated 3 opponents in one night, who were larger and heavier, including Ken Shamrock, known as “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” to prove to the world that his father’s Jiu Jitsu was the ultimate martial art. Without Royce, his father Helio and the Gracie family Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA would not be what it is today.

Join us on April 15th, at 180 Oakwood Ave, Glastonbury from 7 – 9 pm and learned from the legendary Royce Gracie.

Always wanted to learn Martial Arts? Get started today with Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu Self Defense, the original Mixed Martial Art (MMA). Try our program absolutely free for Two Weeks. We feel that this is the best way for us to introduce our school and allow you to experience all the benefits of martial arts first hand. Improved health, flexibility, cardio fitness, strength, stress relief and much more. Our program is great for all newcomers, no experience necessary. You will learn all you need to know to give you confidence and awareness to protect your self in a possible life threatening situation. Gracie Jiu Jitsu Self Defense not only emphasizes the use of technique, timing, leverage and the ability to adept to ever changing environment over the use of strength and athleticism, but also the development of moral values that allow us to live more fulfilled and productive lives. Don’t take our word for it. Just give us a try, if you are not completly satisfied, you can stop at any time. No questions asked. Just leave us your name and email and we will contact you shortly. If you any have additional questions or would like to set up your first trial lesson, give us a call at 860 233 3000.

With AUTHENTIC and PROVEN INSTRUCTION, WE ARE THE ORIGINAL SOURCE OF LEGENDARY ROYCE GRACIE APPROVED TRAINING IN CT. Jim and Royce developed the New England Network of Academies to preserve and share The Authentic Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Self Defense that was created by Royce’s Father Grandmaster Helio Gracie. We are here for you, ready to help you meet your goals:
We are dedicated to preserving the Authentic Way of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as it was taught to Royce by Helio Gracie.

Our goal is to deliver the best Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Self Defense instruction under the supervision of Royce Gracie. Gracie Jiu Jitsu incorporates, striking, throwing, grappling and self defense. With our exciting and dynamic way of training we will help you reach your fitness and health goals while teaching you proven and effective self defense in a fun and safe environment. Unlike other workouts available for adults, our program includes all primary aspects of physical conditioning – Strength Development, Cardiovascular Conditioning and Flexibility Training. Staying with your workout is made easy with our group class dynamic and Royce Gracie approved coach. Your coach will keep you highly motivated while leading you through step-by-step instructions that will keep you moving towards achieving your personal and fitness goals, as well as paving the way towards attaining your Black Belt.

“By now, you probably know about my father’s style of Jiu-Jitsu. If not, you can find a full description of my family’s history and martial art at roycegracie.tv. Right now though, you are on the website of my friend and student, Jim and his coaches, Paul, Doug, Joe, Rick and Katie. They are doing a great job sharing my father’s jiu jitsu all over the map in Connecticut and Mass. You might be wondering about how to get started in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. You begin the same way I did . . . just show up and then keep showing up and training. It is that simple. It’s a way of life for me and my family, its in my blood, I love it, and I am happy to share it with the help of Jim, his coaches and our students in CT, MA. I highly recommend that you go down to one of our schools in Connecticut or Massachusetts. Meet the crew and you will see what I am talking about. Connecticut is a great place to train, and I travel there as often as I can. Check out the expanding class schedule. I will look forward to seeing you on the mat next time I am in New England. If what you are doing anywhere in life makes sense, keep at it and dont give up. When things get harder they will eventually get easyier if you just stick with it! ” -Royce Gracie

“When I first considered starting jiujitsu, I remember being intimidated by the idea. I had wrestled in the past but I had almost no martial arts experience. Jiujitsu, from what I had seen from watching MMA, seemed to be violent and aggressive. I guess I was concerned that I would get beat up, hurt or embarrassed.Paul Bratslavsky was the first person I meet and, within a few minutes, all of those concerns were gone. We went over my experience and what I was looking to accomplish, then we went to work. The first few classes were a little uncomfortable and it took a while to get a feel for it but I was always encouraged.I innitionally just wanted to lose some weight and try something new but I grew to really love the sport. I did lose about 35 pounds but that is really just a byproduct of finding something that I really enjoy doing. Now, almost two years later, I often compete in tournaments and I feel confident that jiujitsu will be a part of my life for a long time to come. Paul’s encouragement, teaching style and skill are, without question, why I feel so strongly about the sport. I recommend Royce Gracie MMA to anyone who is interested in learning authentic jiujitsu in a safe, fun and ego free environment.” – M. Montgomery

“I’ve been training Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu in Boston ever since the school expanded here. Since that time my life has moved in a positive direction in more ways that one. I largely attribute this to my jiu jitsu training, partners, and instructors. I have found that Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu has refueled my innate willingness to learn and rejuvenated my competitive spirit. Most importantly Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu has genuinely enhanced my general well-being (albeit an occasional break from the old lady at home). I have found the instructors to provide a perfect balance of technical instruction, a competitive yet controlled environment, and personal motivation all in one. I have the utmost respect for my instructors and would recommend Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu to anyone looking to supplement their lifestyle with something special.”-Mike Zolla

Get an updated Gracie Jiu Jitsu class schedule NOW and receive notice when the Gracies are training with us, PLUS, get helpful Brazilian Jiu Jitsu self defense and training tips:

Check out this video on how to defend against the lead jab and the rear cross by avoiding the punches all together and getting to your partners back. Gracie Jiu Jitsu is complete martial arts system that consist of four parts: stand up self defense, striking and clinching, clinching and throwing and ground grappling techniques. Even though punches are not recommended in a self defense situation, it is important to know the basic strikes in order to help your partner learn how to defend against them appropriately. If you would like to learn more about our program, please feel free to visit any one of our locations. East Windsor, West Hartford, Glastonbury and Hamden. For any questions please call 860 233 3000.

Join us this Thursday at 7:15pm March 14 at our Glastonbury location. 180 Oakwood Drive. We will be having a special seminar and skill assessment class with Royce Gracie Black Belt Jim Hughes and Doug. Come and see why Jiu Jitsu is the most complete martial art that consists of stand up self defense, grappling techniques, throwing techniques and striking.

You will learn practical self defense against most common street attacks such as chokes, headlocks, strikes and defense against weapons. The goal of Gracie Jiu Jitsu is to give you the ability to survive a real life fight; a fight with no rules, no points, and no time limit. The principals that are taught emphasis technique, leverage and strategy that allow a small person to defend themselves against a much larger opponent.

These are the same principles that were demonstrated by our teacher Royce Gracie in the early UFC days when the rules were limited, and almost everything was allowed. When it was closer to a real fight rather then a sporting event. Helio Gracie intended Gracie Jiu Jitsu to be a Self Defense Art that is not meant for the athlete, but instead for the average person. Techniques are designed to allow a smaller person, through the use of proper leverage and technique, to overcome a much larger opponent.

Helio Gracie realized that, due to his frail physique, he could not perform the techniques from traditional Japanese Jiu Jitsu that require strength and power. He modified the traditional Japanese techniques to rely on technique, leverage, and timing rather than strength and power and continued to improve on the art until his death. Our goal is to preserve and spread the authentic, original, and proven art of Gracie Jiu Jitsu.

Join us on Thursday and be part of the Gracie Tradition. If you are not a member yet, come anyways. It will be a lot of fun. If you like to know more about our program you can give us a call at 860 233 3000 and schedule your first introduction lesson in one of our locations.

The Jiu Jitsu Myth

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has become known for sport and competition. In fact, many people view Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as a grappling only martial art. While there is nothing wrong with doing Jiu Jitsu for sport, it is only one part of the system. The Gracie Jiu Jitsu system has four parts that are closely related: stand up self defense, throwing , striking, and grappling techniques. Practicing all of these elements will allow you to compete in a ring, survive on the street or just have fun while learning the worlds most effective and modern martial art.

Helio intended Gracie Jiu Jitsu to be a self defense art that consist of strikes, throws, stand up self defense and ground grappling techniques. The most important being the stand up self defense and second the grappling ground techniques. To follow in the steps of Helio Gracie and his son Royce we have changed our format for sparing. You are now allowed to use striking standing up and while on the ground. Although you can do what ever you like, we know than the Gracie fight strategy is the smartest option that you have. If your are not sure what it is, then you have to come to class. With that being said, once you start getting punched in the face you realize that not all techniques or sweeps created equal. It is necessary to be honest with yourself in your training, and know your objectives. Are you training for street self defense or sport. I like both aspects of Jiu Jitsu, but it’s important to realize, that there are certain techniques that are more suited for competition and rightly so since the technical game evolved so much that is rarely enough just to know the basics, you need to know all the different positions and guard game variations that your opponent might do and to know how to deal with them. Otherwise you will find your self in trouble. When it comes to self defense you will be surprised that the most basic techniques that you learn will prove to be effective in self defense situation. The truth is both approaches are right, but it is difficult to be good at both. My recommendation for beginners is to first ask your self what are your goals. Is it self defense? Is it sports? It can even be both. Once you decide on what it is, focus your training on that area. If you do decide to do both, then make sure to start with all the basics and stand up self defense first. When it’s time to spar, have your partner review with you some common self defense situations by attacking you with varies holds, strikes, and weapons. Then for your sparing session have your partner put on MMA gloves and attack you while you practice closing the distance, taking your partner down, and ending the fight with a submission. Your partner can strike, knee and elbow at any time. Remember your partners job is to help you bring awareness of what can happen in a real fight. Please note that in truing it is very important to protect your partner, so take every necessary safer precaution needed and where appropriate safety gear, like gloves and mouthpiece.

Here is another way to help you establish a clinch by using the famous Royce Gracie Kick. Also we discuss and demonstrate another way of taking the back when your opponent refuses to turn to there belly when being mounted.

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Get an updated Gracie Jiu Jitsu class schedule NOW and receive notice when the Gracies are training with us, PLUS, get helpful Brazilian Jiu Jitsu self defense and training tips: